Forecast

Blumenthal named defense panel chairman

Dan Freedman
| on March 11, 2014

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., announced Tuesday he has been selected as chairman of the Senate Armed Services subcommittee that oversees all military aircraft programs, including helicopters made in Connecticut.

In addition, the committee's Airland Subcommittee has jurisdiction over all National Guard and Reserve procurement, from aircraft to rifles and bullets.

"First and foremost, the paramount interest of the subcommittee is national security," Blumenthal said in an interview. "It's not about parochial interests."

Nevertheless, Blumenthal acknowledged he'll be in a better position to align Connecticut's defense-industry manufacturers and suppliers, such as Stratford-based Sikorsky Aircraft, with current and future military needs.

"Connecticut has a big stake in jobs created by these programs, and that will be very much on my mind," Blumenthal said.

Last month, Sikorsky announced it would lay off 600 workers. Company officials said most of the job losses would take place in Connecticut, where Sikorsky employs a workforce of 8,200.

Sikorsky, a division of United Technologies Corp., manufactures the Army's workhorse Blackhawk helicopter. But the winding down of U.S. combat forces in Iraq and Afghanistan has negatively affected the company, with the Air Force and Army pushing back on plans to procure new helicopters.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel last month announced plans to reduce the size of the Army to pre-World War II levels, although Pentagon officials hastened to explain that fighting technology and efficiency make the 1940 U.S. Army incomparable to today's forces.

The plan also calls for greater dependence on Special Forces and special operations, which Blumenthal believes bodes well for helicopters.

"We'll very much be depending on helicopters for transporting (special) operations, SEALs and Rangers," Blumenthal said. "So there'll be a need for helicopters, though I can't predict a precise number or what the trends will be. I'll advocate for helicopters because they're essential to our national security."

Another big-ticket item in the subcommittee's jurisdiction, the military's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, contains an engine made by Pratt & Whitney, also a United Technologies subsidiary with plants in East Hartford and Middletown.

Both Sikorsky and Pratt & Whitney depend on a supply chain that accounts for "tens of thousands of jobs" in Connecticut and even more outside the state, Blumenthal said.

Dan Freedman can be reached at 202-263-6400 or at the e-mail address dan@hearstdc.com.